Don was recently widowed (well, two years ago). He was always devoted to his wife of 39 years and for some time lived in a trance like state. He became a little reclusive, not wanting to converse with other people. That began around the time that people kept sympathising with him. They couldn't possibly know what he felt. Couldn't possibly understand. And so, he tended to avoid company.
Now, having just turned 60 and retired he slowly began to come to his senses; being alone now in the latter years of his life would be tough. Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard his late wife telling him, "You silly sod! Stop moping about and get on with your life!"
That was typical of Jane. Definitely what she would have said. She always used common sense when nothing else was available. He smiled at the thought of her, but then understood what she would have meant; go out and find someone to care for.
*****
Jeannie was twice divorced. She married young and immediately regretted it. Her husband was an insanely jealous and controlling man. The big problem came when he had been drinking and became violent. It only happened once, and she immediately left and sought a divorce. She was fortunate to
be able to return to her parent's house to live while things got sorted out.
Her second marriage was ten years later. She often wondered how he had plucked up the courage to ask her out, let alone ask her to marry him. He was shy and quiet and unassuming. The complete opposite of Dick (husband no.1). But Barry was hard work. He could never make a decision for himself and was useless around the house. And as for sex, it was little and seldom and far, far too rapid. They broke up and lived apart, until he unfortunately died in an accident. He had apparently left his car to go indoors but was not sure he'd locked it and turned round to go back and check - right into the path of a cyclist. It hurt, but he was back on his feet in seconds and apologising. The bike did not seem damaged and the cyclist was none the worse for wear. Walking into the
building he entered the lift and, as the doors closed behind him, realised that his trouser leg was wet. Looking down he saw that he was bleeding from the groin area. He fainted at the sight of his own blood, which continued to empty from his femoral artery and he was found dead forty five minutes later.
Technically, that second marriage hadn't actually ended in divorce, but in her own mind Jeannie counted it as such. She remained unmarried, had a couple of short-term flings, but was never prepared to settle down, so they didn't last long.
Without noticing, her social life effectively dried up. She had acquaintances, but no real friends. When she went out, it was generally to shop or go to the gym. She was now in her late fifties. She had kept in good shape, but child-bearing was no longer possible and although the menopause had
been tough on her own, she was past it now.
Loneliness had been combatted by working long hours at the office, but now she was at a crossroads. The company she worked for had been taken over and she was being offered a very generous severance package to encourage her to retire early. It was too good an offer to turn down.
So, now at home full time, she threw her energies into further improving her fitness. but as the weeks went by she realised it simply wasn't enough.
Jeannie wondered how she might go about finding somebody to spend some time with. It just so happened that about then, while looking through the local paper for courses or clubs (none of which suited her), by chance she saw an advert on TV for a mature singles website. Intrigued, she went on-line to check it out.
The dating site was called Single and Mature and seemed simple to navigate and after a couple of days deliberation she took the plunge and filled in her details.
*****
Don was pretty much in the same boat as Jeannie. Alone, feeling lonely, but still fairly fit and active. He too by chance saw the advert and, almost to the second, entered his details at the same time as Jeannie.
Their likes and preferences were not an exact match, but in both cases, of all the suggestions, they each came top of each other's list. Not only did they seem a reasonable match, but they only
resided two Tube stops apart.
Don clicked on the Request a Date button and the message arrived with Jeannie almost straight away. She pondered for fully 30 minutes, before clicking on Accept and Make a Date.
It was at this point that the website went through not just Ts and Cs, but safety-first warnings. Jeannie began to get nervous but told herself she could always back out.
*****
So, they arranged to meet at a pub not far from where Jeannie lived (although her address had not been revealed on the website) thank goodness. She was ten minutes late. Don saw her as she walked in and was immediately impressed by her appearance; high heeled shoes (but not too high that she couldn't walk easily), a simple mostly cream floral dress that flared from the hips, covered by a dark blue jacket.
Don knew immediately it was her from the accurate picture that she had posted on the website -- although he felt that it did not really do her justice.
Jeannie had been taking deep breaths before going in. She was not sure that this wasn't a mistake, but when she walked through the door and looked around the virtually empty pub (it was an early Wednesday evening), she spotted him straight away and as he rose to his full height of 182cm, she decided that maybe she'd stick around for a while.
"Hi, Jeannie? I'm Don."
He held out his hand and she took it. the shake was gentle, yet firm and his smile made cute wrinkles
at the corners of his eyes.
"Can I get you a drink?" he asked.
She looked at the glass he had in front of him and said; "I'll have the same as you, if that's a dry white wine, please".
As he walked to the bar, Jeannie got the chance to appraise him properly. He was not only tall and handsome, Don looked like he took care of himself physically. She momentarily chided herself for thinking anything more. He came back with the drink and they began chatting.
They hit it off and seemed able to talk about almost anything together, so Don invited her to go for a meal at a nearby Italian restaurant. Jeannie paused for only two seconds before saying yes.
While eating, they continued talking and Jeannie made a confession.
"You know, I very nearly didn't go into the pub. I stood outside for some minutes trying to pluck up the courage."
"Well," he said, raising his glass to her. "I'm really very happy that you did manage to come through the door. But why were you so nervous?"
"I...I've never done anything like this before. Actually, I haven't dated for decades!"
Don smiled, "That's OK," he said. "This is my first time too, but I haven't dated since I was 19!"
Jeannie was aware that he was widowed and had avoided the subject up to now, but it seemed the right moment to broach the subject.
"Yes, I imagine it must have been devastating for you when you lost your wife. How many years were you married?"
Don looked down, a sad expression crossing his face. "Thirty seven years."
He looked up and saw the compassion in Jeannie's eyes and smiled.
"You know what? I've got to stop thinking about it being 'only' thirty seven years and think more about how lucky I was to have that long!"
Jeannie returned his smile, "Yes, you were really very lucky. My own circumstances can confirm that!"
The sadness pushed to one side, Don asked Jeannie about her past. She did not tell him everything, but equally, she did not deliberately hide anything.
"Wow!" he remarked. "You've not had much good fortune then?"
A wry smile accompanied her answer, "No, but...maybe that can change."
By now Jeannie had realised that maybe this could be somebody she would like to
spend time with. But would he want to spend time with her? She decided that she needed to take a more serious note.
"You know, there may well be some questions that both of us want to ask but have been avoiding. Perhaps we should address them?
"I'm guessing that we both signed up in the hope of finding someone, but what exactly are you looking for in a relationship?"
Don puffed out his cheeks first and then answered after a brief consideration, "I guess, I'm primarily looking for companionship."
Jeannie chewed her lip for a moment and then asked, "What about sex?"
"Well, it's not the most important thing in life, but I am -- at least was -- still active."
Emboldened by the wine and the relaxed manner in which they were able to converse, Jeannie ploughed on and asked him bluntly, "How often would you require sex?"
Cocking his head to one side and smiling at her audacity Don answered the question, "It's not really a matter of keeping score. Sex should be spontaneous. Sometimes one partner might not feel like it, but in a good relationship the other should recognise that and back off. Equally, it might be that the one decides to go along with the other simply to satisfy their partner. Maybe most people get it wrong, but sex is about giving, not taking.
Jeannie was taken aback both by his forthrightness and his logic. She was becoming very attracted to this seemingly very caring man. In a slightly mischievous mood, she decided to ask him a slightly risqué question to see how he would react.
"So, what position do you prefer and is it always in the bedroom?"
Don chuckled, "As I said before; sex should be spontaneous; anytime, anywhere, anyhow."
For the first time for a while, Jeannie could feel her nipples and pussy tingling. She had not
felt like this for many years.
As if reading her thoughts, Don said, "Are you deliberately asking me these questions to get me turned on? Because I have to tell you it's working".
Jeannie grinned.
"So, how do you like a woman to dress?"
Suddenly, it occurred to Don that Jeannie might well be aroused too. The attractive flush around the base of her neck, the constant fiddling with the pendant chain, drawing his eyes towards her cleavage (she had long since removed her jacket to dine).
"Well, I have to say that I think you fit the bill pretty well".
"Oh, you charmer!" thought Jeannie.
He then decided to push a little himself, "I prefer a woman to wear matching underwear, preferably white but not necessarily so. And no padding in the bra."
